International Football
Late deflected strike keeps Australian World Cup hopes alive
Australia will take on Peru next week for a place at November’s World Cup finals after beating the United Arab Emirates 2-1 on Tuesday in Asia’s final eliminator for Qatar 2022.
Defender Ali Salmeen deflected Ajdin Hrustic’s volley past Khaled Eisa with six minutes remaining at Al Rayyan’s Ahmad bin Ali Stadium to keep alive Australia’s hopes of qualifying for a fifth consecutive World Cup finals.
Jackson Irvine had put Graham Arnold’s side in front with a close-range strike in the 53rd minute but Caio Canedo levelled four minutes later with an emphatic finish into the roof of Mathew Ryan’s net.
The Australians increased the pressure throughout the second half and it eventually paid off when Hrustic volleyed towards goal following Aaron Mooy’s corner and the deflection off Salmeen proved decisive.
“We showed good character, I think we dominated the majority of the game and we took the chances when they came,” said Australia’s Martin Boyle.
“It’s only a job half done. We have to dust ourselves down, prepare and we will go again.”
Harib Abdalla Suhail had carried the principal threat down the left for an Emirates side that had the better of the initial exchanges, forcing Ryan into a pair of saves at his near post in a tepid first 45 minutes.
But eight minutes into the second half the Australians struck, with Boyle turning the defence before finding Irvine, who scored with a first-time finish from inside the six-yard box.
The lead lasted four minutes as Suhail’s pace proved problematic once more. The Shabab Al Ahli winger curled in a cross and Caio eventually drove his left-foot shot into the roof of the net.
Craig Goodwin and Hrustic both had efforts that flew over the target before Boyle saw the ball bounce off his shins and go wide as the Australians increased the pressure.
Eisa kept the Emirates in the game with an instinctive save from substitute Jamie Maclaren 10 minutes from time, but there was little he could do four minutes later.
Mooy’s corner was headed back towards the edge of the penalty area and Hrustic made a powerful connection, with the ball taking a decisive deflection off Salmeen’s hip to leave Eisa helpless.
The Socceroos will meet Peru in the same venue next Monday in the first of two intercontinental playoffs to determine the remaining spots at the finals, with New Zealand playing Costa Rica in the final eliminator 24 hours later.
-Reuters
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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